Thanks to Sidin for asking me to write this and publishing it in Mint.

Unfortunately, as typical of newspapers, my words were modified to something that is newspaper-y which is really not my style, and the article was printed before I got a chance to review. And no, that short bio was not written by me :)

Here is the full content of the article:

I am a utility reader and writer. If it doesn’t make you think, I don’t read or write it. If I need entertainment, I go for movies or listen to music. It follows that I have an interest in personal improvement and productivity. Hence I tend to visit websites and blogs of that nature. Some of my favourites:

## Personal Finance

### [www.thesimpledollar.com](http://www.thesimpledollar.com)

On his website, Trent Hamm talks about improving your personal finances. Hamm also writes detailed reviews of books related to both personal finance and entrepreneurship/self-improvement. The site hosts a number of downloadable books such as 31 Days To Fix Your Finances and quirky tips to save money by making your own bread and detergent! A must-read.

Ramit Sethi’s blog is US-centric but there are a lot of tips and discussions on how to be prudent with money and personal finance planning. In addition to blogposts, the Stanford graduate and start-up entrepreneur has newsletters and video interviews that will help budding entrepreneurs and those looking to save a little extra.

## Productivity

### [www.lifehacker.com](http://www.lifehacker.com)

Technology should help you lead a better life rather than make you use more technology. And this is the website that shows how to use technology.
Part of the popular Gawker blog network, Lifehacker has advice and tips on saving time. Look for links to great Windows, Mac and Linux applications that help you do just that. It’s all about the blog’s official motto: Don’t live to geek; geek to live.

### [www.calnewport.com/blog/](http://www.calnewport.com/blog/)

Called the “Study Hacks” blog Newport writes about the productivity hacks he uses and how to become a better student. Although meant for students, we can all use the advice here because today’s jobs require us to continuously learn and improve our skills.

## Design

### [www.yankodesign.com](http://www.yankodesign.com)

A website which highlights fresh and new ideas from all over the world. Very inspiring. Shows that the world is not limited in ideas but in people who can bring these ideas to life. Great for industrial design buffs, geeks and fans of great photography.

## Marketing

### [sethgodin.typepad.com](http://sethgodin.typepad.com)

Seth Godin is now an Internet phenomenon. His insightful blog, among the most popular on the Web, focuses on many aspects of running a business and creating products and how they affect the brand and marketing.

_Swaroop C.H. is the author of two open source textbooks on Python and Vim 7. He is also co-founder of Ionlab_ (www.ionlab.in), _a geeky product design and marketing firm. He blogs at http://www.swaroopch.com/posts._

“A list of blogs I read has been published in the Mint Lounge newspaper”
“A selected list of blogs I read” would sound more appropriate.. I would be very surprised to know if these are the only blogs you read.. :)